With season 7 of Game Of Thrones ending Sunday, the dust has just now settled here at the Wall from a frenzy of recaps, roundups, post-mortems, analyses and interviews from cast and crew about the epic season finale. However, despite officially entering the offseason, the news is still coming fast and thick. Here’s what we’ve rounded up since “The Dragon and The Wolf” aired Sunday.
From Nerdist: Jacob Anderson doesn’t care that the Varys-is-a-merman theory has been thoroughly debunked — to him, it’s one of his favorite fan theories and so crazy that it should be true.
“It works! It makes sense,” Anderson, who plays the stoic Unsullied commander Grey Worm, told Nerdist’s Alicia Lutes in a recent interview. “I don’t think it’s true, but it should be.”
Anderson also revealed his favorite theory about his character: that Grey Worm will end up with a golden, um…appendage. I’ll leave it to your imagination, or you can watch the full interview here.
From Entertainment Weekly: Unlike the dramatic “Light of the Seven” track that played during the season 6 finale, longtime Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi wanted something more subtle for the finale of season 7 and the long-expected awaited Jon and Dany hookup. It’s how he arrived at “Truth,” which was a combination of the Stark and Targaryen themes he’s used in previous seasons and was hinted at during episode 3, when Dany gives Jon permission to mine the dragonglass.
“It’s supposed to be its own thing,” Djawadi told EW. “The trick with this theme is that it really had to be a love theme but when we played it in earlier episodes, you don’t want to give away the love too soon. So it had to be a theme that could be a little bit mysterious, a little moody, and you could play it darker at times. I know everybody was expecting [them to get together] but we really had to be able to do this slowly.”
Read the full interview here.
From Making Game Of Thrones: Michele Clapton, veteran Thrones costume designer, talked about dressing two queens — Cersei and Dany — and how the season saw their styles evolve. For Dany, that meant dressing for a colder climate, incorporating colors that represent her House sigil, and assuming more authority with what she wears.
“We kept the boots and trousers because that’s her trademark. I wanted to start going towards charcoal and red, because those are [Targaryen] sigil colors,” Clapton said. “I didn’t want her to wear a crown, but I wanted her to wear something that signified status.” Instead, she chose a chain with a three-headed dragon on the end, because “There was a weightiness to it. I wanted her to have authority.”
Clapton also talked about Cersei’s looks in season 7, which have been “extravagant,” especially the black color palette and in the use of spikes on many of her gowns. For the meeting in the Dragonpit in the season finale, however, Clapton used a chain-mail style dress and a black molded coat, with what she called “one telling design: a slashed pattern on the back of the queen’s coat.”
“I knew she was lying,” Clapton explains what inspired the look. “Something about the slashing and the twisting told you a lot about her character, a contradiction of the costume from the front. It’s almost like a sting in the tail, something on edge as you see her walk away: there’s something really disturbing about this woman.”
Making Game Of Thrones also had up-close views of the diary of High Septon Maynard that Sam transcribed and from which Gilly learned that Rhaegar Targaryen’s marriage was annulled (still waiting on you to give credit where credit is due, Sam!!), and of the letter that Jon wrote to Sansa after pledging fealty to Dany as rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
The costuming interview is available here, while close-up views of the letter and diary can be seen here.
From Australia’s News.com.au: If one of the most exhilarating scenes of the season 7 finale wasn’t Theon finally growing some…courage and pummeling the Ironborn sailor Harrag who blamed him for Yara’s capture, you might want to check your pulse. Australian actor Brendan Cowell, who played the character in episodes 3, 4 and 7, talked about having the freedom to act without reining in any ferocity as part of the Thrones cast.
“[W]hat’s great with the show is it gives you full license to play really carnal characters because it’s a brutal world,” he said. “You can be incredibly violent and you don’t have to give a reason, you don’t need to give a backstory, everyone’s surviving and everyone will kill and eat anything they need to at any time. So as an actor it’s a wonderful world to just be ferocious behind the eyes and not question it.”
The full interview is available here.
From Format magazine: In an in-depth interview, veteran Thrones cinematographer Robert McLachlan talked about his influences, his work on another HBO hit, “Westworld,” and what it was like to film season 7’s episode 5, “Eastwatch” — especially the scene in which Jaime tells Cersei about the “changing nature of war” (i.e., having to deal with dragons on the battlefield).
“There was a closed-in balcony behind a lattice, and the only backing behind that was a huge sheet of sky blue, which had no character whatsoever,” he said. “The last time I shot the chamber I just blew the lattice out so it felt like a hot, white sky outside. This time I wanted to add more texture. Jaime delivering this information about the changing nature of war to Cersei seemed like the equivalent of witnessing the A-bomb drop in the form of a dragon. I wanted it to feel like the sun was setting on the Lannister Empire, and that fit with time-of-day in the storyline.”
Read the full interview here.
Hodor! GoT is the epitome of “Clothes make the (wo)man”. I think the show sets the bar skyhigh for all production values. And cheers! to Grey Worm’s possible golden appendage!
I thought Brendan Cowell did a great job as Harrag the ironborn captain (and I kind of wish he’d been cast as Euron to be honest!) Anyway, I’m pretty sure Theon paid the iron price in full and killed him with all those measured, deliberate, heavy punches to his face but I’d like to see him back.
Beautiful costumes this year. A little dark but nice. However, I am really more interested in the styling of Rhaegar Targaryen in the flashback. What was the inspiration for the costume and just… the whole look.
Theon’s scene remined me of Black Sails. Great show. Not that popular, but I think every GoT fan would love that show as well.
Why do I get the feeling everytime Michele Clapton talks about not giving Dany a crown, that it’s something they are holding back till she gains the Iron Throne next season. Clapton sure loves to bring up the so far no existent crown, I almost feel like she is hinting at the ending lol.
ghost of winterfell,
That’s the impression I have as well. It’s been clear since day 1.
I wish she’d invest more in outfits for some of the other main characters.
ghost of winterfell,
The story will end with Dany and Jon as king and queen. I think that’s completely clear now.
Jon won’t die, he is legitimate Targaryen. What’s the point of that if he won’t be king? And Dany won’t die, because they will have a child together.
GRRM – trope subvertor LOL
He was lying about the nature of this story for 20+ years because he killed Ned Stark and his fans bought his BS. I’m sure many won’t believe next season that that was his ending and they will blame D&D as usual.
As I have said before I don’t like Clapton’s design for the chain, it is too bulky and lack elegance.
I don’t like her ideas about Dany not having a crown. She should have her mother’s crown if it can be found.
I don’t mind the off-Black , but the sangria just seems a dull strand in for Targaryen ‘blood’.
She does not even wear the Targ Sigil.
I tried to decipher the High Septons diary but I couldn’t make out much. I did manage to see that he recorded he was forbidden to tell anyone of the secret marriage and that he would not do so.
At the end it says ‘1 bowel movement’ lol
Read that Theon beat Harrag to death, was bloody, but looked like Harrag was just zonked senseless.
Tbh her designs this season weren’t as good as they have been. The only interesting outfit Dany wore this season was her white dress/coat from episode 6. That dress made her look absolutely ethereal and regal. The perfect Snow/Ice queen. It also made me wonder if it holds elements of foreshadowing about her fate. Her other outfits were nice but underwhelming. The black should have been blacker and the red should have been a bit more vibrant. It would have been better if there were more elements of red in the skirt or the top.
Cersei’s best outfit was her dress in the finale. It looked simple but very elegant.
I completely dislike Clapton’s choices for Daenerys’ costumes this season (with a single exception – her winter coat), from the colors, to the designs, to the clunky and cheap-looking chain and jewelry (or lack thereof) and her oft-repeated nonsense about the chain making up for a lack of a crown. Since when was “charcoal” a Targaryen color? Daenerys looked positively dowdy in the dragon pit scene. 😀 The same goes for Missandei’s costumes. Sansa’s wig. Arya’s hairstyle. I wish Clapton would give less interviews and spend more time on designing better costumes.
Flayed Potatoes,
Yeah I have read so much about the costuming choices for Cersei, Dany and Sansa, I would love to see more in the costuming for Arya, Brienne, Jon, Davos. Davos really needs new clothes lol.
mau,
I am already seeing some of it. People seem to be sure that Jon’s real name is a D&D invention, instead of having come from GRRM. If both Jon and Dany end up surviving, it will push them further into denial. It’s not really GRRM’s fault though. He has repeatedly said that his idea of a bittersweet ending is LotR, where almost all major characters survived. But some fans get too hung up over this, not realizing that every story has already been told many times before, that they are all trope-y to an extent. How is the savior character dying on saving the world any less trope-y lol.
As for the story ending with co-regency I do hope so, even though there has not been any previous example of this in Westeros, even though there have been multiple examples in real life. I am not sure where this fits with Dany’s “breaking the wheel” declarations though, especially if they secure an heir.
Love that description of the pattern on Cersei’s dragonpit coat. I did not initially care for that slashed design but now, with her explanation, it makes more sense. Regardless, I loved both the dress and the coat.
Dyanna,
Yes. I tried as well. The writing on the left hand side of the entry is much easier to decipher than what is on the left. I am working on the words next to “Elia Martell.”
mau,
I was imagining what it would be like to be in D&D’s position, trying to pull together all the disparate strings of GRRM’s creation to reach the ending. Would I relish, as a show creator, the opportunity to end the story without aid from the source material. Or would I’d preferred to complete the show after ASOIAF had reached it’s conclusion.
I believe I’d preferred the latter.
Criticisms will always come either way, but at least D&D wouldn’t be bearing the heft of being (possibly) the only ending to this story.
I think part of the reason S8 may not air for 2 years is so George has time to finish the story
Well, I really ejoyed the costumes in this season, especially Dany’s, but giving the response I’ve read in the comment section, I must have been the only one. Lol.
But I totally get where you are coming from, even I have to admit that none of the costumes this season had that WOW factor we saw in the previous seasons (Cersei’s coronation dress, Sansa’s weddings costumes, Margaery’s wedding costume…) except perhaps Dany’s costume in 7×06, that was just mesmerizing.
I also miss the flowy colour full dresses, but winter is here and so is the Great War, so I except the ladies to wear even darker outfits and lots armours, I would personally love to see Sansa in a stark dress armor (like a feminine version of Jon’s), a man can dream.
Why does Jon’s scroll say warden of the North instead of King in the North?
Have a think about it and see if you can work that out by yourself.
ramses,
Book purists hated them since S1. Now they act like they thought the first 4 seasons were perfect, but we know their reactions. They hated S4 more than S7. It was unbelievable.
So they would hate either way. That’s what they do.
Those people hated Harry Potter movies, they hated LOTR, they hate GoT.
I couldn’t agree more. Why that awful puce, it’s the colour of an old drunkard’s nose. It should be scarlet, proper RED.
And that chain! It’s coarse and cheap looking. There’s no fine detail. I’ve seen better looking toilet chains.
Hahaha…. 😀 But having a think, even an extremely tiny one, is so much harder than asking endless questions and just getting answers.
Agree! I mean, Clapton can’t even get two colors as basic as BLACK and RED correctly! 😀 I believe she generally spends 96% of her time on GoT, thinking and designing Cersei’s outfits and crowns and jewelry.
Alvaricomg,
I think a lot of people did like the costumes this season, I’m not one of them. I thought they were really unimaginative, highly repetitive, and some were downright bizarre.
Dany’s clip has one dragon to much on it at the end of the season.
I have so much respect for Clapton she’s amazing in her work. One of the reasons why s5-s7 is still fun too watch.
And what’s so amazing about the varys is a mermaid theory? I found it rather childish and bad. The only theory which I like is that he’s a secret blackfyre but we know that they left out that part of the story. Don’t see that happening in season 8.
THAT………………would be amazing!
🍺Here’s to positive thinking🍺
Continuity error 😘
Jack Bauer 24,
Because he has bent the knee to Daenerys, which means that he cannot be king if he is serving another queen, I thought it was obvious 😲
Clapton sure does have a hard on for Cersei.
Cersei’s costume in the Dragonpit scene is one of my favourites that the show has ever had.
Both Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring?
ghost of winterfell,
Thats the bittersweet ending according to me , the Wheel represents feudalism , its been stated many times that dany hates the great lords of westeros , so just like the tudors ended the Middle Ages in U.K. starting the modern age, still ruling with an iron fist and monarchic system , dany would do the same . Human rights , broken wheels have always been achieved by strong enlightened monarchies , bloody revolutions , and civil wars , a price must be paid , whether it will be war or revolution and it will need military strenght on behalf of an enlightened monarchy , otherwise the lords won’t give up their prerogatives and nothing will change . Dragons are like nukes , we still have the latters in our world , are we so naive to believe that without them , there would be peace and prosperity and not chaos ? It’s a compelling question with a not so easy answer , but u cannot rule just with love or ull end up backstabbed like Jon snow or crucified like Jesus .
😂
The last book is always much easier too write than the books before. Many storylines will be resolved in wow, less storylines to think about as a writer. The closer to the end, the less road to the end need to be written, the more straightforward the writing will be. Right now he has to think about the road from wow and dos for example if you take the show. In season 5 they thought about the setup and the finishline of the no one storyline, in season 6 they only needed to think about the finishline of that story, no more thinking ahead. If wow is finished he only need to think about the end and write to that. Many writers finished their last book very quickly. Lots of ideas in the head in earlier books lots of chaos. The last book their head is much emptier less story to think about.
Even grrm said that dos would be much easier to write. And we can all expect he wrote a lot of chapter from dos already even when he wrote got.
My greatest fear is that the last episode will be directed by Ron Howard and the Night King will be played by his brother Clint.
AAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boojam,
Yep, that’s what I thought. I don’t believe Theon killed him – Just beat him senseless .
When I first saw that fight, I thought that Theon had picked up or was holding a large pebble which may well have caved his skull in and killed him, but after a few more re-watches, I was pretty sure he was pounding him just with his clenched and gloved fist?
I think it’s sensible that characters, including the female ones, would be wearing darker, less elaborate clothes, when they are gearing up for war and winter. I sure as heck wouldn’t wear a party frock if I was going into a boxing match (as if). So I don’t have any complaints about the costumes…but unto each their own I guess.
Dame of Mercia,
I don’t understand why winter should call for drab colours.
So the man who took 16 years to write 5 books is going to pump out 2 more in 2 years? LOL
D&D didn’t wait for GRRM to finish writing to reveal other plots from future books, including Shireen’s death, Hold the Door, and confirming R+L=J. The show is massively popular and has momentum, there is no way in hell they are waiting for GRRM. I’ll be old and grey before ADOS comes out.
Grandmaester Flash,
Well I suppose I was thinking if money was going towards the war effort people would be using less expensive dye colours (especially as in a faux medieval work chemical colour dyes I presume would not be available) – and maybe if hard times were coming they would want colours that didn’t mark too easily. I guess if winter is a-coming it would be harder to hang clothes out to dry – though it’s never been specified how clothes are dried in Westeros. I read on one history website that clothes pegs were a relatively new development and clothes used to be hung on shrubs such as gorse to dry – I know the gorse bit is true but I don’t know if the bit about clothes pegs is true. Any historians reading this who can light on the subject?
Grandmaester Flash,
Well I suppose I was thinking if money was going towards the war effort people would be using less expensive dye colours (especially as in a fax medieval work chemical colour dyes I presume would not be available – and maybe if hard times were coming they would want colours that didn’t mark too easily. I guess if winter is a-coming it would be harder to hang clothes out to dry – though it’s never been specified how clothes are dried in Westeros. I read on one history website that clothes pegs were a relatively new development and clothes used to be hung on shrubs such as gorse to dry – I know the gorse bit is true but I don’t know if the bit about clothes pegs is true. Any historians reading this who can light on the subject?
mau,
I completely agree. A whole lot of people will be crushed when Jon and Dany end up married, having a child, and both sitting on the Iron Throne. They will blame D&D, but just about all sci fantasy stories end up that way.
I did request that my double post above was deleted (at least the one with mention of a ‘fax medieval’ world – I tried to edit the original post to change the spelling but somehow ended up with a double post.